Once again, I’m playing a little fast and loose with my travel theme! For today’s letter, I am talking about traveling on Carnival Cruise Lines — the Fun Ships! I have been on (I think) 6 cruises and they have all been on Carnival. I really enjoy Carnival because it is a great mix of adult and family fun, casual and fancy atmosphere. My first cruise, I was super nervous about not being able to see land. It took me no time at all to love the feeling of being completely surrounded by water, feeling so small on that big boat. I have only cruised to Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico,

My husband and I on our first cruise. In the foreground is my dad’s wife Brenda who introduced us to cruising!

but I don’t even really care where we go. I just like being on a cruise. I like the way the boat feels and the atmosphere on the ship. I feel very safe. I like the implied camaraderie with everyone else on the ship. It is rare that I run into a complete jerk. But that being said, cruises are great for people watching! The food is pretty decent, too. You’ll surely never go hungry! The shows sometimes are cheesy but sometimes they’re really cool! I love going to the comedy club or just hanging by the pool. I really love going to the casino! I love playing roulette, and honestly, the only time I ever play roulette is on a cruise despite the fact that I live 20 minutes away from 2 casinos.

One of the best things about a cruise — towel animals!!!!

I have gotten spoiled, too. Now that I have had a stateroom with a balcony, I never want to be without a balcony on a cruise ever again! Nothing beats sitting on your balcony drinking coffee in your jammies or pulling into or out of port from your balcony or sitting out there in the dark and feeling absolutely small. Carnival has had some bad press in the past couple of years, but I have found their customer service and attentiveness to detail to be most impressive. I know there are lots of other great cruise lines out there, but right now, I am still a fan of the Fun Ships!

My mom in front of our cruise ship on a spring break cruise. Port is Cozumel, Mexico.